Undergarment

ABSTRACT

An undergarment including a waist-covering portion; and at least one fastener for releasably attaching the waist-covering portion to a brassiere; such that when the undergarment is conventionally worn, the waist-covering portion does not cover a wearer&#39;s breasts.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Australian Application No.2005229771 filed Nov. 8, 2005, which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an undergarment that is particularly suitableto be worn by breastfeeding mothers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One major concern for a new mother is the need to breastfeed her baby inpublic. As breastfeeding requires a mother to expose at least one breastto allow the baby to feed, the task often makes her feel very exposedand self-conscious. As a result, many new mothers are reluctant to goout in public for the fear their baby will need feeding, in which casethe mother would feel significant embarrassment and discomfort.

The feeling of being exposed and embarrassed in public is heightened bythe need to rearrange clothing worn by the mother in order to expose thebreast. The most discrete method often requires a mother to lift up hershirt and gather it above her breasts in order to allow the baby accessto her breasts for feeding. This results in not only the mother's breastbeing exposed in public, but also the mother's stomach and back region.A mother feels particularly self-conscious and embarrassed when thisoccurs, especially as immediately after giving birth to her baby herbody shape is usually not the same as it was before she became pregnant.It can be very difficult to breastfeed discretely, especially withoutcausing unnecessary anxiety and stress on both the mother and baby.

The exposure of the mother's stomach and back region due to therearrangement of clothing during breastfeeding may also lead to themother becoming very cold, especially during the winter months. Theexposure of the stomach or back during cold weather may therefore resultin the mother becoming ill. Often a mother chooses not to wear shortertops and shirts whilst breastfeeding, as shorter tops lead to almost thewhole of the mother's back being exposed whilst breastfeeding. Thisprevents a mother from wearing her regular clothing.

Further, during cold weather a mother will often wear layers of clothingto keep warm, including singlets, spencers and camisoles for example. Asthese undergarments all cover the mother's breasts, they will also needto be rearranged to expose a breast during breastfeeding. This requiresmany layers of clothing or undergarments to be pushed up and gatheredabove the breasts. The many layers of clothing are therefore positionedvery near the baby's face, which may be both dangerous to the baby andalso uncomfortable whilst it breastfeeds.

It would be advantageous if a mother did not have to rearrange as manylayers of her clothing, and if her stomach or back was not exposed,whilst breastfeeding.

It is preferable for a mother to wear a nursing brassiere after givingbirth. A nursing brassiere allows for easy access to the mother'sbreasts, which facilitates breastfeeding. In one form of nursingbrassiere, the brassiere cups are attached separately from the brassieresupports, and removably attached to the brassiere supports to allowaccess to the breasts. A nursing brassiere also provides support for thebreasts, which can be sore and swollen after giving birth and throughoutthe time a mother is breastfeeding her baby. Therefore, while a nursingbrassiere facilitates breastfeeding in itself, the mother's clothing,including undergarments, still need to be pushed and gathered above thebreasts in order to allow access to the nursing brassiere.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an undergarment thatalleviates some of the concerns of a mother during breastfeeding andpreferably causes less exposure for a mother whilst breastfeeding.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

With the above object in mind, the present invention broadly provides anundergarment comprising a waist-covering portion wherein thewaist-covering portion extends from below a wearer's breastssubstantially down to the wearer's hip region; and means for attachingthe waist-covering portion to a brassiere, such that when theundergarment is conventionally worn the undergarment does not cover thewearer's breasts.

In one aspect the present invention provides an undergarment comprisinga waist-covering portion extending, in use, from below a wearer'sbreasts substantially down to said wearer's hip region; and at least onefastener located on said waist-covering portion for releasably attachingthe waist-covering portion to a brassiere, said fastener adapted toreleasably attach to a non-specific target material or device therebyallowing said waist-covering portion to be releasably attached to aconventional brassiere; wherein when said undergarment is conventionallyworn, said undergarment does not cover said wearer's breasts.

The undergarment of the present invention does not cover the wearer'sbreasts, which allows the breastfeeding of a baby without the need forthe rearrangement of the undergarment to expose the breasts. Only anouter garment, such as a shirt, needs to be lifted above the wearer'sbreasts and rearranged during breastfeeding, which decreases the amountof clothing gathering near the baby's face.

The term “non-specific target material or device” refers to any kind ofmaterial or surface, thereby the fastener being of the type not having aspecialised corresponding mating portion.

The term “conventional brassiere” refers to any standard, unaltered andunmanipulated brassiere, thereby the fastener being of the type that canbe attached to any standard brassiere.

Further, since the undergarment does not require any rearrangementduring breastfeeding, the undergarment will remain in the same positionand allow the wearer's stomach and back regions to remain covered by theundergarment at all times during breastfeeding. As the undergarment isattached to the wearer's brassiere by means of a fastener, theattachment is secure, which prevents the possibility of the undergarmentbeing pushed downwards when a wearer is carrying a child on their hip.Further, the undergarment allows a wearer to wear regular clothing, asthe wearer does not need to be concerned with their whole back beingexposed. The fastener for attaching the waist-covering portion to thebrassiere does not require any alteration of the brassiere, therebyallows ease in transferring the undergarment to be worn with anyconventional brassiere.

The present invention also provides an undergarment that does notrequire shoulder straps for support, although this is an alternativeembodiment. The absence of the need for shoulder straps allows for thebetter utilisation of the brassiere, since the positioning of garment orundergarment straps often cover and conflict with the brassiere strapsand, in particular, the convenient use of a nursing brassiere.

It is preferred that the at least one fastener is detachable from saidundergarment. This allows for further utilisation of the undergarment,and for ease in washing the undergarment.

It is further preferred that the at least one fastener is transferrablylocatable to a plurality of positions on said waist-covering portion,allowing for the desire and comfort of the wearer, as well as allowingfor differently formed and shaped brassieres to be used with theundergarment.

It is further preferred that the at least one fastener is covered toavoid accessibility and injury to a baby. It is further preferred thatthe at least one fastener is a suspender-type clip.

In one form, the undergarment further comprises at least one fastenerreceiving portion for connecting said at least one fastener to saidwaist-covering portion, wherein said at least one fastener receivingportion includes a strip of elastic attached to an upper edge of saidwaist covering portion. In an alternative form, the fastener receivingportion includes at least one loop attached to an upper edge of saidwaist-covering portion. In yet another alternate form, the fastenerreceiving portion includes at least one hook attached to an upper edgeof said waist-covering portion.

It is a further preferred feature of the present invention that thewaist-covering portion is adapted to receive at least one strapextending over the wearer's neck and/or shoulder region. It is furtherpreferred that the at least one strap is detachable from thewaist-covering portion. The detachable strap or straps gives the weareran option of utilising the undergarment solely by the brassiereattachment means, solely by the strap or straps, or by utilising boththe brassiere attachment means and the strap or straps together. Thisprovides for a more versatile undergarment depending on the need anddesire of the wearer.

Therefore, the undergarment of the present invention achieves its objectby allowing the wearer's breasts or brassiere to be easily accessible atall times, without the need for rearrangement of the undergarment, andalso minimises the exposure of a wearer's stomach and back duringbreastfeeding. This allows the breastfeeding of a baby to be performeddiscretely and comfortably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the undergarment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 being worn together with abrassiere;

FIG. 3 a shows an embodiment of a fastener used for attaching thewaist-covering portion to the brassiere, the fastener being in theopened, non-securing position;

FIG. 3 b shows the fastener of FIG. 3 a in the closed, securingposition;

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of a fastener receiving portion and fastenerfor attaching the waist-covering portion to the brassiere;

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a fastener receiving portionand fastener for attaching the waist-covering portion to the brassiere;

FIG. 6 shows yet another alternative embodiment of a fastener receivingportion and fastener for attaching the waist-covering portion to thebrassiere;

FIG. 7 shows yet another alternative embodiment of a fastener receivingportion and fastener for attaching the waist-covering portion to thebrassiere;

FIG. 8 shows a front view of an alternative embodiment of anundergarment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows the rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows yet another alternative embodiment of an undergarment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 11 shows one embodiment of the means for attaching shoulder strapsto the waist-covering portion;

FIG. 12 shows yet another alternative embodiment of the undergarmentpresent invention; and

FIG. 13 shows yet another embodiment of the undergarment of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention will be described with reference to a number ofpreferred embodiments. It will be appreciated that persons skilled inthe art could implement the present invention in many different ways,and variations may be produced without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

Considering initially the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the undergarment 1includes a waist-covering portion 2 and a plurality of fasteners 3 forattaching the waist-covering portion 1 to a brassiere.

The waist-covering portion 2 can be any type of material that covers thewearer's front and back region, at the front from at least just belowthe breasts downwards. The waist-covering portion 2 may sit by thewearer's breasts, but does not cover the breasts. It may extenddownwards as long as desired, however it is preferred the waist-coveringportion 2 extends substantially down to the wearer's hip region.

The fasteners 3 may be of any suitable type. Fasteners may include (butare not limited to) press-studs, safety pins, hooks & eyes, Velcro, orsuspender-type fasteners that would not require any alteration of abrassiere (i.e., be adapted to attach to a non-specific target materialor device), and it is therefore preferred that suspender-type clips areused.

While the fasteners 3 may be of any number and be situated in anyposition around the waist-covering portion 2, it is preferred thefasteners 3 are positioned as shown in FIG. 1, the positions beingapproximately:

-   -   1 clip at the centre of the front of the waist-covering portion        2, between the breasts; and    -   2 clips at equal distances from the centre of the back of the        waist-covering portion 2, preferably no less than 3.5 cm from        the centre back to avoid the bulk of the rear brassiere        closures; and    -   2 clips at the side area of the waist-covering portion 2.

These specific positions are considered to be the most comfortable forthe wearer, and are in positions for the complementary attachment to themajority of brassieres.

FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 being worn by a person 25, and asattached to a nursing brassiere 4. The nursing brassiere 4 does not formpart of the present invention, and any kind of conventional brassieremay be utilised with the present invention. As can be seen in FIG. 2,the undergarment 1 does not cover the wearer's breasts or the brassiere4, so the undergarment 1 requires no rearranging whilst breastfeedingwhen used with a nursing brassiere 4. The undergarment 1 can keep themother's stomach and back region covered at all times.

The waist-covering portion 2 may be made of any suitable material. It ispreferred the waist-covering portion 2 is made from a resilient orflexible material. This aids in retaining the garment next to the skinof a user by stretching during use, regardless of the differences inbody shape and size between users. It also allows sufficient stretch toresist lifting with the wearer's outer garments. In providing a goodfit, the material should be stretchable circumferentially more than itstretches longitudinally. A 100% cotton fabric having stretchability inthe range of from about 10% to about 30% along the warp and in the rangeof from about 10% to about 20% along the weft is expected to providedesirable results. A lightweight cotton underwear material should behighly suitable and can be doubled in thickness for increased comfort.Although any desired coloration can be used, the colours are preferablyselected in order to allow concealment of the undergarment underclothes. The undergarment may alternatively be made from a fabricadapted to aid in thermal retention, such as Polartech®.

The length of the waist-covering portion 2 preferably extends down tothe wearer's waist or hip region. A stretch hem or elastic is preferredat the top of the undergarment to assist in positioning under thebreasts.

It is preferred that the fasteners for attaching the waist-coveringportion 2 to the brassiere 4 are suspender-type clips 6, as shown inFIGS. 3 a and 3 b. The suspender-type clip 6 allows the brassiere fabricto be positioned between the two members 7,8 of the clip 6 which arethen clamped together by means of the tongue 9 to hold the brassierefabric in place. No alteration of the brassiere itself is required withthe suspender-type clips. The suspender-type clips 6 are preferably nowider than 1.75 cm, no longer than 3.5 cm and no deeper than 0.75 cm,for the comfort of the wearer. It is most preferable that smaller clipsthan the aforementioned measurements are used. Suspender-type clips arewell known to persons skilled in the art and no further discussion onthe mechanism of these clips need be provided.

The mechanism used to connect the suspender-type clips 6 to thewaist-covering portion will depend upon the formation of thesuspender-type clip 6 itself. One implementation of the attachment means(or “fastener receiving portion”) is shown in FIG. 4. A strip of elastic5 is stitched at intervals inside the waist-covering portion 2, andclose to the top edge of the waist-covering portion 2. The elastic 5 ispreferably stitched at intervals of approximately 2.5 cm the whole wayaround the waist-covering portion 2. This allows sufficient attachmentfor the elastic 5 to be held in place, while the intervals are largeenough for the clips 6 to be clipped onto the elastic 5. Havingintervals the whole way around the waist-covering portion 2 allows thewearer variations in the positioning of the clips 6. The jaws of theclip 6 first grasp the elastic 5, and can then grasp the brassierefabric, attaching the undergarment 1 to the brassiere 4. The clip 6 isfully detachable from the waist-covering portion simply by unlocking theclip 6 and sliding it out from the elastic 5. The removal of the clips 6allows for easy washing of the undergarment, and also allows theundergarment 1 to be converted to use without the clips 6, such as byshoulder straps.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show variations for attaching the clip 6 to thewaist-covering portion 2 (i.e., variations of the fastener receivingportion). In FIG. 5, the clip 6 integrally contains a full attachmentclip loop 16. A piece of fabric or the like is formed into a loop 17around the clip loop 16. A hook 18 may then be sewn into thewaist-covering portion 2, and the hook 18 may be inserted into thefabric loop 17 attached to the clip 6, by the open arm 10 of the hook18. The clip 6 can then grasp the brassiere fabric between its jaws 7,8,thus attaching the undergarment 1 to the brassiere 4. The clip 6 can beeasily removed from the waist-covering portion 2 by sliding it out fromthe hook 18.

In FIG. 6, the clip 6 has an open loop 11 integrally attached. A fabricloop 12 may then be sewn into the waist-covering portion 2 to allow theopen arm of the loop 11 to slide through, thereby attaching the clip 6to the waist-covering portion 2.

In FIG. 7, a length of fabric 13 is sewn at one end onto thewaist-covering portion 2. The length of fabric 13 is then threadedthrough the loop 16 in the clip 6, and folded over to attach to the endof the length of fabric 13 via a button or press-stud means 14. The clip6 is then securely attached to the waist-covering portion 2, yet easilyremovable simply by unbuttoning the fabric loop 13.

Turning to FIGS. 8 and 9, an alternative implementation of the presentinvention is shown, utilising both the clips 3 and two shoulder straps15. The clips 3 are used and attached as described above. The straps aredetachable from the undergarment 1 to allow the undergarment 1 to beworn by the clips 3 only.

The straps 15 are preferably adjustable in length to allow for thedesire and comfort of the wearer. Various forms of strap members may beused and are readily apparent to one skilled in the art. The straps maybe formed of a resilient material, or alternatively or in addition maycomprise adjusting means such as a buckle to allow for the lengthadjustment. It is preferred the straps 15 are positioned to the sides ofthe wearer's breasts for the most comfort, and it is preferred the rearof the straps 15 are positioned to avoid the rear brassiere closure,again for the comfort of the wearer.

The straps 15 may be removably attached to the undergarment 1 by anysuitable means, as readily known by those skilled in the art. Forexample, releasable attachments such as press-studs, buttons, a hook andeye arrangement or Velcro® may be used. To ensure the straps aresecurely fastened to the undergarment 1, a hook and loop arrangement, asshown in FIG. 11 is preferred to be used. The loop 18 may be sewn intothe waist-covering portion 2, and a hook 19 may be used on the ends ofthe straps 15 for attaching to the loop 18. The attachment of the straps15 may utilise the clip attachment loops if the clip attachment loopsare in suitable positions.

As shown in FIG. 10, the undergarment 1 of the present invention may beworn solely by use of the straps 15, with the clips 3 having beenremoved.

The undergarment 1 of the present invention should preferably includemeans for covering the clips 3 to keep the clips 3 out of the reach ofthe baby during breastfeeding. This may be achieved by attaching a bandof fabric or lace 20 to the top edge of the waist-covering portion 2which will cover the clips 3, as shown in FIG. 12. Alternatively, theband of fabric or lace 20 may fold over and into the jaws of the clips3. A further alternative is to attach the clips 3 below the top of thewaist-covering portion 2, as shown in FIG. 13. In the latter case, theclips 3 should not be attached too low, as this may result in theundergarment 1 restricting use of the brassiere 4. The clips 3 should bepositioned for the undergarment 1 to by worn completely below thewearer's breasts.

While the present invention has been described with particular referenceto being suitable whilst breastfeeding, it will be understood that theinvention may also be worn generally as an undergarment. Theundergarment of the present invention can thus be used with any type ofbrassiere, without requiring any alteration of the brassiere itself,however during breastfeeding, it is preferred the undergarment is wornwith a nursing brassiere to best facilitate breastfeeding.

The present invention provides the advantage of ready access to thebreast region of a wearer, which is particularly suitable for a motherto use whilst breastfeeding, where access to the breasts is paramount.It also provides the advantage to a mother of requiring no rearrangementof the undergarment in order to access the breasts for breastfeeding.This allows a mother to feel less anxious about exposing her stomach andback regions whilst breastfeeding. The present invention furtherprovides the advantage of not conflicting with the straps of abrassiere, which is advantageous if a wearer is wearing a straplessbrassiere yet still wants to wear an undergarment that covers theirwaist region. It is also advantageous for a mother who is wearing anursing brassiere, as the undergarment of the present invention does notneed to cover the straps of the nursing brassiere, which is often wherethe cup attachment means are located. The present invention also allowsa mother to wear regular clothing over the top of the undergarment,while not needing to be concerned about having their whole back beingexposed.

1. An undergarment comprising: a waist-covering portion extending, inuse, from below a wearer's breasts substantially down to said wearer'ship region; and at least one fastener located on said waist-coveringportion for releasably attaching said waist-covering portion to abrassiere, said fastener adapted to releasably attach to a non-specifictarget material or device thereby allowing said waist-covering portionto be releasably attached to a conventional brassiere; wherein when saidundergarment is conventionally worn, said undergarment does not coversaid wearer's breasts.
 2. An undergarment according to claim 1 whereinsaid at least one fastener is detachable from said undergarment.
 3. Anundergarment according to claim 2 wherein said at least one fastener istransferrably locatable to a plurality of positions on saidwaist-covering portion.
 4. An undergarment according to claim 1 whereinsaid at least one fastener is a suspender-type clip.
 5. An undergarmentaccording to claim 1 further comprising at least one fastener receivingportion for connecting said at least one fastener to said waist-coveringportion, wherein said at least one fastener receiving portion includes astrip of elastic attached to an upper edge of said waist-coveringportion.
 6. An undergarment according to claim 1 further comprising atleast one fastener receiving portion for connecting said at least onefastener to said waist-covering portion, wherein said at least onefastener receiving portion includes at least one loop attached to anupper edge of said waist-covering portion.
 7. An undergarment accordingto claim 1 further comprising at least one fastener receiving portionfor connecting said at least one fastener to said waist-coveringportion, wherein said at least one fastener receiving portion includesat least one hook attached to an upper edge of said waist-coveringportion.
 8. An undergarment according to claim 1 wherein saidwaist-covering portion is adapted to receive at least one strapextending over said wearer's neck and/or shoulder region.
 9. Anundergarment according to claim 1 further comprising at least one strapattached to said waist-covering portion and extending over said wearer'sneck and/or shoulder region.
 10. An undergarment according to claim 8wherein said at least one strap is detachable from said waist-coveringportion.
 11. An undergarment according to claim 9 wherein said at leastone strap is detachable from said waist-covering portion.